48 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 



JZ 



the future and gather material for comparison with that now resting 

 in the National JNIuseum. 



There were several points of interest as far as the physical features 

 of the locality visited were concerned. In 1912 the waters of the 

 western end of South Bight were of a creamy consistency and the 

 land areas adjacent low flats, mud cracked, with flakes of oolitic 

 rock. On the present visit South Bight was found to be a perfectly 

 clear stretch of water with well-packed bottom with an abundant 

 growth of aquatic plants, while the land adjacent gave the impres- 

 sion of moss covered flats. The green element, however, was due to 

 blue-green algae, which appear to serve as a binding factor. 



The trip was enlivened by an iguana hunt, which resulted in the 

 securing of several of these large lizards which are now in the collec- 

 tion of our Zoological Park. 



Returning to Nassau, five days were spent exploring the cays ofif 

 the northwestern shore of New Providence and the adjacent main- 

 land. Here large collections of Cerions were made, the location of 

 each colony being carefully noted, so that these likewise may serve 

 as a check series for comparison with future generations produced in 

 place. 



On June 3 Dr. Bartsch returned to Miami and on the following day 

 set sail for the Tortugas, stopping to examine the various plantings 

 along the Florida keys. 



It was a pleasure to find that the hybrid colony on Newfound 

 Harbor Key, around which the greatest interest centers just now, had 

 escaped being wiped out by the hurricane. Evidently the rain preced- 

 ing the hurricane had caused the Cerions to take to the ground, as 

 they are wont to do for foraging purposes under such circumstances, 

 and the dense mats of grass here had kept them from being swept 

 away by the floods that had passed over them, a most fortunate state 

 of affairs. A large number of dead specimens were nevertheless 

 found, which have been placed in the National Museum for record. 



Incidentally, it may be stated that another almost fledged young 

 great white heron was discovered on White Heron Key, the island that 

 furnished the specimen that was shipped to the Zoological Park two 

 years ago. The present specimen, which is probably a younger brother 

 or sister of the former sending, was also transmitted by parcel post 

 to the Zoo, where it arrived in good condition. 



In " Experiments in the Breeding of Cerions," there are given on 

 page 46 detailed measurements of 100 specimens representing the 

 check series of Cerion crassilabris from Balena Point, near Guanico 



